Beata Bigaj. Rebellion

painting14/09 - 21/10/2018

The project concerns coming up with the idea for the exhibition, including the creation of a set of the painter’s works (painting new ones and choosing some of the existing ones) for the exhibition whose main theme is REBELLION.

The final set of paintings is supposed to be a statement on the following topic: What is the driving force behind our actions: Contestation or Consensus? Disapproval or Acceptance? Objection or Unanimity? Revolution or Evolution? Or maybe the good old Peace of Mind? In the case of this particular exhibition project, the validity of the topic is not directly connected to politics of any kind. The slogan REBELLION is, after all, present in every epoch and might concern both public affairs and the individual, strictly intimate lack of consent to something. The idea for this exhibition came from the artist’s interest in the attitudes which individuals adopt, although they might cause discomfort because they are incompatible with their declarations or lifestyle. Such a situation occurs when someone blindly obeys the crowd, follows the example of others for some unknown reasons, or participates in matters which, according to this person’s opinion and conscience, should not concern him or her. The question “Why does this happen?” is crucial in the context of such important topics as ideological conflicts or warfares (the project makes reference to World War II, especially to the horrors of Auschwitz-Birkenau). However, the question of attitudes towards dilemmas which require one to make a choice between “for” and “against” is equally important in everyday life, at work, at home, and when it comes to family relationships. And that is why rebellion, or the lack of it in a situation where it should come naturally, is the main theme of this grant-financed exhibition. The visual inspiration for the paintings came from the observations made at home, on the street, and at work, as well as from photographs in the media.

They all provoke the content, and sometimes also the form of the paintings. These, however, do not recreate reality, but are based upon their own compositional arrangements. Old press photographs, with intensified or, on the contrary, washed out colors, constitute an inspiration for the color scheme of those artworks. The language of painting draws on the tradition of socially engaged art, which includes highly interesting, though currently quite forgotten, works of such artists as Albin Egger Lienz, André Fougeron, Aleksandr Deyneka or Yuriy Pimenov. The whole project is supplemented with texts and photographs that refer to its title, as well as Polish and global critical and engaged art. They are incorporated in the exhibition space and included in the catalogue.